“I decided to have the archdiocese arrange a private screening to help promote the success of ‘Bella’ because of its powerful message about the sanctity of life, as well as the desire to support the efforts of talented individuals attempting to use modern means of communication for the promotion of positive values,” Archbishop Naumann (Kansas City) wrote in a note to those who attended the screening.

The back story of Metanoia Films, opening its first feature film, “Bella,” nationwide Oct. 26, could be called The Miracle on Bedford Drive.

Severino, 35, couldn’t help but notice Verastegui, 33. Besides being the only other young person at church, he was unabashedly devout, praying after Mass with head bowed and raised hand touching the church’s indoor statue of Christ near a side exit.

“I was really moved by that,” said Severino, who was struggling to reconcile his Catholic faith and new job responsibilities requiring that he draw up contracts for programs “not exactly what the Blessed Mother would be watching on her television.

“I was going to daily Mass just praying for deliverance and guidance from the Lord. I didn’t know it was going to come in the shape of a 6-foot-1-inch, ridiculously good-looking Mexican superstar,” said Severino. Not wanting to interrupt Verastegui during his private devotions after Mass, he passed by without saying a word on his way out to the parking lot.

It is uncommon for a film to make a clear, confident moral statement from which audiences of all demographics can benefit. It is even less common for a film that does make such a statement to be good.

“Bella” (Roadside Films/Metanoia Films), which will be released Oct. 26, does just that — it takes a moral stand and exhibits the qualities of excellent filmmaking.

Would you like to enjoy a delicious cup of coffee, made with fresh roasted beans of the finest quality, and support a great Catholic cause at the same time?

We knew you would say “YES!”

We’re very pleased to now offer Mystic Monk Coffee from the Carmelite Monks in Wyoming to our customers. If you haven’t heard about this new community of cloistered monks in Wyoming, read about them right here. The coffee, proceeds of which supports the monks in their efforts to build their new monastic compound, is available in 12 oz. bags, whole bean only, and many blends are available in decaf and well as “full strength.” You might want to try the Pumpkin Spice blend or the Rum Pecan blend – both are absolutely delicious and seem to us like the perfect match for a brisk fall day!

“The Feast of Christ the King is November 25”

“Pope Pius XI instituted the Feast of Christ the King in 1925 in his encyclical Quas Primas. Pope Pius connected the denial of Christ as king to the rise of secularism. At the time of Quas Primas, secularism was on the rise, and many Christians, even Catholics, were doubting Christ’s authority, as well as the Church’s, and even doubting Christ’s very existence. At the time, Pius XI witnessed the rise of dictatorships in Europe, and saw even Catholics being taken in by these earthly leaders. Just as the Feast of Corpus Christi was instituted when devotion to the Holy Eucharist was at a low point, the Feast of Christ the King was instituted during a time when respect for Christ and the Church was waning, when the feast was most needed. In fact, it is still needed today, as these problems have not vanished, but instead have worsened around the world.

Pius hoped the institution of this feast would have the following various effects:

That nations would see that the Church has the right to freedom, and immunity from the state (see Quas Primas, 32).

That leaders and nations would see that they are bound to give respect to Christ (see Quas Primas, 31).

That the faithful would gain strength and courage from the celebration of the feast, as we are reminded that Christ must reign in our hearts, minds, wills, and bodies (see Quas Primas, 33).”

“By attributing to Jesus the divine title “Lord,” the first confessions of the Church’s faith affirm from the beginning that the power, honor, and glory due to God the Father are due also to Jesus, because “he was in the form of God,” and the Father manifested the sovereignty of Jesus by raising him from the dead and exalting him into his glory.

From the beginning of Christian history, the assertion of Christ’s lordship over the world and over history has implicitly recognized that man should not submit his personal freedom in an absolute manner to any earthly power, but only to God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Caesar is not ‘the Lord.’ The Church . . . believes that the key, the center, and the purpose of the whole of man’s history is to be found in its Lord and Master.”

– from the Catechism of the Catholic Church 449, 450

“Pilate said to Jesus, “Are you the King of the Jews?”… Jesus answered, “My kingdom does not belong to this world. If my kingdom did belong to this world, my attendants would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not here.” So Pilate said to him, “Then you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say I am a king. For this I was born and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth.”

– from the Gospel of St. John, Chapter 18, verses 33, 36, 37.

We are proud to feature beautiful Catholic jewelry from the Vatican Collection: